Daily Inspiration: Meet Gabriella Bustos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Bustos

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in New Jersey and spent my early years in Texas before moving at age seven to Pennsylvania, where I grew up and later completed college.
My earliest memories began when I was living in Texas. This is where I discovered my passion for acting. My daily routine would consist of me coming home from school and rushing to my rocking chair to watch movies, while my mom cooked dinner. Whenever I watched movies, I studied them. I was fascinated by the way actors could make people feel and dreamed to one day be a part of all the magic.
My first stage experience was in preschool, playing a piglet in The Three Little Pigs. From then on, I would perform shows at home for my family and was extremely attached to the video camera; bringing it with me wherever I went and creating videos.
At the same time, I was also an athlete. I started in gymnastics and then began playing soccer at the age of five. Then basketball entered my life and I kept a busy schedule balancing those sports. My life was heavily revolved around athletics. At age 13, I entered the theater again and although it was short-lived due to my commitment to athletics, my passion for acting remained.
After graduating college at 19, I took a leap of faith and moved to California; allowing my dream and curiosity to fuel me. I enrolled at the New York Film Academy here in Los Angeles, where I studied acting for a year and a half.
I then moved to Barcelona, Spain, to train at The Actor’s Workshop with Frank Feys. One day Frank presented us with the opportunity to attend a masterclass with Ivana Chubbuk. So I flew to Amsterdam for the workshop and I was left in complete awe at the level of mastery that could be executed. I left that experience feeling so inspired.
After living in Spain, my journey took me to many different states, including Florida and New York, where I continued to work, study and expand my craft. I was trained under the Meisner technique at The William Esper Studio. Then, in 2020, when the world shut down due to COVID-19, I took a road trip back to California and never left. While getting back into the industry, I did extra work, modeling jobs, side gigs, and networked as much as possible to get more experience in the field. Despite my efforts, things were slow as the world was shut down.
As always, life has its way of unfolding, and I quickly found myself deeply involved in a newfound passion centered in the medical cannabis community. This passion took my focus for the next couple of years and allowed me to evolve so much that I understand it was a necessary part of my journey.
In 2022, I gave birth to my beautiful son and he changed my life along with my vision of what was important.
By 2024, I knew it was time to fully dive into what I love most—entertainment. I started working consistently as a commercial actor and model, then shifted my focus toward short films and independent projects to sharpen my craft. I was blessed to meet such great peers along the way and was even able to join my first feature film.
Although I do work a lot, I also make sure to prioritize time for adventures. I travel out of the country at least once a year. I’ve had my fare share of time exploring different countries abroad, and now with my son by my side- he gets to accompany me. I feel very blessed to get to do so many things that ignite my soul.
Now, my goal is to continue modeling but focus more on acting. I hope to join more short films to continue sharpening my craft and, ultimately, step into more feature films. I also am currently working on a new business that I created and hopefully by the end of the year, I can share information on that.
My life has been a journey of resilience, passion, and trusting the process. I love what I do and when I am creating, I never truly feel like I’m working. I encourage everyone to follow their dreams and even if life derails you time and time again; let it be for the purpose of learning, so that when you are presented with the opportunity to do what you are destined for, you are ready.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has in no way been a smooth road, but I have come to learn that the struggles must be appreciated and valued because within them are lessons that are necessary for your growth. I have come to learn that you must always strive in the direction you want to go, but you must also surrender to your agenda and allow life to guide you.

A struggle that I faced early on, was the conflict of balancing my athletics and my art. In my household, athletics was a mandate. When you are young you don’t always understand why you must do certain things when you want to do other things but now that I am older I do appreciate that athletics was a huge part of my life because it taught me so many necessary values. One of my biggest takeaways from sports was learning that your mind is your only limit, and that limit can always be tested and expanded upon. Sports also taught me about discipline, teamwork, and the value of your health. And these traits are some that I incorporate wherever life takes me. I encourage everyone to be easy on their parents, as becoming a parent has taught me that we all are trying our best.

Another struggle that I faced early on was with my self-confidence and overall mental health. Trying to get others to believe in a dream that I believed in made me doubt myself a lot. And certain situations that I went through in my adolescents, definitely made me feel that I wasn’t worthy of even the bare minimum. But the older I got, the more I realized that life isn’t about convincing others. Life is about creating with what you got. It is vital to believe in yourself fully, despite what others think. Unfortunately, sometimes that road is a lonely one to travel, but even in the painful moments, you evolve and that is a beautiful thing to look back on.

One of the most important challenges that I had to overcome was the reality of becoming a parent. The whole process was messy and chaotic. Despite all the chaos, I did and still do believe that my son was the greatest blessing life could have given me. My son saved me in so many ways before I could save myself and he is my biggest motivator. He is such a light and pours love into everyone he meets. I strive to be better everyday for us both and have also learned that it is totally okay to ask for help; something that I never could bring myself to do prior. In asking for help, I have progressed in so many ways and am so thankful for that.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As an artist, I get such a thrill from creating. Being able to create alongside others and bring people’s visions to life is what I live for. I work in the entertainment industry. And I would also say that I’m an avid traveler. I am most proud of my resilience throughout my journey of pursuing what I love. Through my trials and tribulations, I have been able to maintain a strong mindset. Reminding myself that setbacks are all preparation for a greater cause, and witnessing how much adversity I have overcome throughout the years, allows me to admire and appreciate my strength. A lot of times you must trust blindly, that life is working out for you and that is easier said than done. I am always up for explorations, even if the lack of familiarity scares me. I always view change as something that simply has to be done in order to evolve.
One thing that sets me apart from others is my heart. I have a very big heart and although it has gotten me in some rough situations, I am proud of how open it remains. I believe in the good that lies within each of us and I always try to seek to understand others.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I encourage everyone to follow their dreams and even if life derails you time and time again; let it be for the purpose of learning so that when you are presented with the opportunity to do what you are destined for, you are ready.

I encourage everyone to seek to understand themselves better. Whether it be therapy, guided healing, or other resources; I have learned the more I understand myself, the more I can understand others. Also, the more I understand myself, the more I can heal from traumas others may have unintentionally inflicted upon me. Forgiveness is a superpower, that allows you to move forward gracefully.

I really encourage any young mothers out there to not let the reality of becoming a parent keep you from your other identities. It may be challenging figuring out how to balance it all, but it is possible and I say that with love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/profile/36680551
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellaabustos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabriellaabustos/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriella-bustos/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabriellaabustos
• Other: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm8290907?s=fccab17e-21de-c61f-9f32-7ed26d193955&site_preference=normal

Image Credits
Alexander Flanagan
Matt Britos
Aranza Delgado
Nyck McCune
Brandon Gonzalez
Sergey Dediukhin
Gabriella Bustos
Kornel Shukhat
Kat Kaye